Wanted fugitive lived in Aust undetected

Date: February 05 2013

Belinda Merhab

An international fugitive managed to enter Australia with a fake passport and go undetected for two years, despite applying for jobs at several government agencies including the defence force, a court has heard.

Richard Ammar Chichakli, 53, is wanted by US authorities who will seek his extradition for allegedly conspiring with a Russian arms dealer to buy planes to ship weapons to conflict zones across the world.

He is alleged to have been the chief financial manager of notorious weapons trafficker Viktor "Merchant of Death" Bout, the inspiration for an arms dealer played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film Lord of War.

According to court documents, the Syrian-born US citizen entered Australia with his partner in 2010 using a passport in the name of Jehad Almustafa and subsequently obtained a Medicare card, Victorian driver's licence and Australian Taxation Office tax file number under that alias.

Until his arrest last month, Chichakli managed to fly in and out of Australia six times and applied for several positions with government agencies, including the Australian Defence Force and Victoria's Country Fire Authority, the documents show.

But he was not detected as a fugitive until he provided his fingerprints as part of his application to become a protective services officer with Victoria Police.

This was despite the fact that he had been the subject of an Interpol red notice alert which indicated he was wanted and should be arrested.

He was also subject to travel and business sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council over his alleged dealings with former Liberian president Charles Taylor.

The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that Chichakli had been held in maximum security at the Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) because he was deemed a security risk and was still being assessed.

Brendan Money, head of security classification at Corrections Victoria, said Chichakli was held in the tightest security because of fears he could escape, given his ability to obtain false passports and documentation.

He is being held in solitary confinement in a three-by-four-metre cell and must have his wrists and ankles shackled when moving around the prison, he said.

Chichakli's lawyer Tim Marsh said his client's possession of a false passport had no bearing on his ability to escape.

"I'm not aware of the MRC being a point of international departure," he said.

"You understand that professionally he is an accountant, not a ninja."

Mr Marsh said the harsh conditions Chichakli was being detained in, combined with what would probably be a lengthy and complex proceeding, amounted to special circumstances warranting his release on bail.

He said Chichakli's extradition would be contested because the charges against him might not even exist in Australia.

The offences arose from an act within US law that allows the president to issue declarations in relation to a person, he said.

"This is offending which is so clearly rooted in US domestic and foreign policy," said Mr Marsh.

"It's offending which has been criminalised by the US president in respect to the US political agenda.

"One cannot assume, and one should not assume, that corresponding (charges) would exist in Australia."

Alexandra Folie, representing the US government, said Chichakli was an extreme flight risk who had resources and contacts to obtain false identities and documents. She alleged he had 16 aliases.

Magistrate Duncan Reynolds will hand down his decision on Thursday.

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